Heritage Register
Rockland
1618 Rockland Avenue
(ex-1604 Rockland Av)
Built
1928
Heritage-Designated 2001
For: Duncan Alcorn
Architect: Samuel Maclure & Eric Clarkson, attributed
Builder: Duncan Rudolph Alcorn
ARCHITECTURE:
This late British Arts & Crafts house has roughcast
stucco walls, a steeply pitched, cross-gabled roof, and
parapeted gables supported on unusual brackets. The
Dereen façade has a full-height gabled extension to the left
of the main entrance. There are three wall dormers, two
to the left of the gable and one above the entrance. The
enclosed entry porch has a flat roof. The Rockland façade
has a shed-roofed, two-storey angled bay. Multi-paned
wood casement windows are grouped in twos and threes.
The prominent parged chimney has a traditional s-curved
metal tie bar. The rear has three narrow gabled wall dormers
and hip-roofed, square bay extensions to the main body of
the house. There is a hip-roofed, double-width garage on the
ground floor below the two dormers.
This residence is attributed to the office of Samuel
Maclure, which was being operated by Eric Clarkson who
served as a draftsman and later partner in some projects. A
1928 article in The
Times announced
that Maclure was
the architect of a
house on Rockland
Av being contructed
that year for $15,000.
The details of
1618 are almost
identical to those
on the Harrison
house in Uplands
at 3235 Beach Av
designed by Maclure
& Clarkson in 1929. The permit for 1618 is only $8,000,
perhaps indicating that the newspaper notice was referring
to a contract let for two homes. 1602 Rockland Av was also
built by D.R. Alcorn in 1928 at a cost of $8,000,and it reflects
the design influence of Eric Clarkson. At this time Maclure
was very ill (he died the following year), and he often left
Clarkson in charge of the office.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
Builder Duncan Rudolph Alcorn (b. NB 1871-1946)
came to Victoria in 1905 with his wife Addie.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1930-31: Richard Thornley Hall (b. Victoria 1898-
1938) and Gwynneth (née McPhillips, b. Victoria 1897)
married in 1926. Richard was the son of Louisa Kinsmen
and Richard Hall (906 Linden Av, Fairfield, a Maclure designed
house), a prominent early Victoria businessman.
Gwynneth was the daughter of Emily and Judge Albert E.
McPhillips (1861-1938), who had a home 1603 Rockland
Av (demolished), across the street from 1618, designed by
Maclure in 1899. Richard was vice-president of Christy
Hall & Co, real estate and insurance brokers.
1931-38: Mary “Aileen” Dennis (b. Regina, SK
1884-1959) paid the taxes. She lived here with her father
Col. John Stoughton Dennis (b. Toronto 1856-1938) and
his second wife Kate Hunter (b. Kingston, ON), who
married in 1921 and came to Victoria after John retired in
1930. In 1879 John had married Mary’s mother, Québec-born
Mary Conroy, who died in 1920. John was the son
of Canada’s first Surveyor-
General and Deputy Minister
of the Interior, Lt.-Col. John
Stoughton Dennis (1820-
1885). John Jr. was educated
at Trinity College School,
Upper Canada College, and the
Kingston Military School. From
1872-78 he was Manitoba’s
Assistant Land Surveyor, then
until 1882 surveyed HBC’s
town lots in Winnipeg, Prince
Albert and Edmonton. He
was chief inspector of the
Federal Topographical Surveys
Department of the Interior, then
in 1902 became superintendent
and chief engineer for CPR irrigation near Calgary. In
1885 during the Riel Rebellion, John Jr. commanded the
Dominion Land Surveyors Intelligence Corps. During WWI
he was a Lt.-Col. in the Recruiting Commission in the US,
then a Col. and Director of Transportation & Intelligence
of the Canadian Brigade in Siberia. He was a Red Cross
Commissioner, chaired the Canadian Trade Commission in
Siberia, and earned numerous decorations.
1939-41: Horace Plimley (1895-1985) and Constance
Mary (née Michelin, 1896-1978) married in Victoria in
1918. Horace was a son of car dealer Thomas Plimley.
As a child, he was a violinist and performed with Prof
Edward G. Wickens’ childrens’ orchestra. Horace worked
for Thomas Plimley Ltd, becoming president in 1929. In
1936 the business expanded to Vancouver. Horace and
partners started Western Equipment Ltd in Victoria, selling
power transmission accessories to the forest industry. The
business is now based in Richmond.
1942-48: Eliza Margaret Jones (b. ON 1880-1969),
the widow of Stephen Jones II (b. Clinton, ON 1869-
1933), owner of the Dominion Hotel, 755-765 Yates
St, Downtown; his father Stephen Jones I (1817-1893)
opened the hotel in 1876, and Stephen Jones III (b. 1910)
continued the tradition.
1949-90: Retired RAF officer
George Sydney Meyler “Sid” Warlow (b. Bedfordshire,
ENG 1893-1985) and Marguerite (née Smith, b. Montreal,
QC 1894-1990) had architects Birley, Wade & Stockdill
design alterations to the house, costing $1,500, in 1949. In
1947-48 they had lived at 1765 Rockland Av.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:
• Map of Victoria's Heritage Register Properties
• Rockland History
• Rockland Heritage Register
• This Old House, Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Three: Rockland, Burnside, Harris Green,
Hillside-Quadra,
North Park & Oaklands
